Squad 51
by Hieutuan
Summary: A new commander in charge of "Tactical Doll Squad 51" of Charlie Company arrives at Smith Co's Pacific Base to begin work alongside the T-Doll, Super SASS, as squad mates.
1. Assignment

1- Assignment

On that sweltering hot summer day, I was bound for a local base for the PMC I served under. I traveled with my companion, a 2nd generation tactical doll of the Super SASS Model. Her heat receptors had been disabled, leaving her cool unlike myself in the rusted civilian car as we descended a hill and passed the dense woods. Beyond the windshield was the Pacific ocean, and the base lay ahead on a nearby island connected by a small gravel and sand isle with a worn down road. The inlet sparkled in the summer light and members of Charlie and Delta company were about in work boats and managing larger patrol craft.

As we approached the gate, Sass took my hand nodded in acknowledgement of my anxious breathing. The excitement of our first assignment was before us, just past the gate. There were assorted milsurp utility vehicles and tactical doll squads practicing drill in the compound's streets and on the sidewalk. Diverting my attention from the activity before me, I pressed lightly on the gas pedal and stopped level with the security booth. "Names, positions, reason for arrival?" Asked the guard. I coughed and swallowed to moisten my dry throat before speaking. "Arthur West, first member and commander of 51st T-Doll squad. Reporting for service under Charlie Company with tactical doll M110 Super SASS". The guard appeared curious and glanced into the vehicle to see Sass in the passenger seat. "Two member squad?".

The guard let us pass with a friendly "Welcome to Smith Co's Pacific base, please work hard with everyone else, yea?". With our final exchange of words, we were let past the booth. Not 10 seconds had passed before we were instructed to leave the vehicle with our luggages, and proceed on foot. Outside of the car, we bore no differences from the rest of the company, dolls and humans alike, in our surplus maritime BDUs. I stumbled into what seemed like a bike lane on the side of the base's main road and began to march in tandem with Sass. As a squad, we marched along the road past the many buildings of the base which were arranged neatly like displays on a shelf. Just beyond the gate's Regulation Unit building were small school styled portables which served as the tactical doll barracks. Just a bit ahead was the mess hall, and past that was the commander's quarters, medical facility, and general purpose area. Every building had once been damaged during the battle to retake the base from SF forces, however, Smith Co had allocated their considerable resources to repairing and redesigning the area.

There were many things to do during leisure time, however, I first needed to report to the base commander's office before settling into my new posting. Members of Charlie and Delta company were carrying on with their daily routine as my squad (or rather, pair) made our way to the large wood and aluminium building in the distance. As we entered, it was apparent that the building was relatively empty, so we checked the map and searched for the commander's office. We found it on the 3rd level and headed towards it. The corridors were neatly cleaned and the sound of tapping boots filled the space. Together after a few minutes, we found the office. I began to panic and I looked at Sass for guidance. She smiled and I slowly eased up. "It's alright commander West, we've already been accepted. We're just reporting, that's all. Besides, the base commander is being replaced soon."

With reporting completed, I followed an AR-15 doll towards our designated living area. The fatigue of traveling had evidently begun to weigh down on Sass and I, as our arms began to drop while marching and our paces became sloppier. When we reached the doll barracks I prepared to bid Sass farewell for the moment as we moved into our barracks, but the AR-15 kept marching on towards the regulations building. In stiff formal words, she said "This is where you'll stay as regulators. As regulators, your duties will not start for a few days after joining the company, and squads will stay together at all times. Please make yourselves at home with the rest of Charlie company." Reluctantly, I lead Sass towards the room we were instructed to and found our baggage left neatly in front of our door. The room was cramped even with its minimal furniture. With the exception of a cot, bed, closet and a desk, the room was nearly empty and characterless. I spent the rest of the evening unpacking and caring for the weapons I had brought for the squad in the tiny space. By the time I'd finished cleaning the Super SASS rifle, Sass was fast asleep on her cot across from me in the little room. Seeing her asleep, I gingerly lifted her, and replaced her still body on the softer, and far more comfortable bed. I lifted her sheets and tucked her in, leaving her soft face exposed for her to breathe. It was a pointless action since her heat receptors were disabled, but it was also one of concern. With the day's tasks completed, I went to prepare for sleep myself.

"Commander West? Wake up, it's 04:30." I felt tugging at the corner of my nightshirt and I woke to see Super SASS hunched over next to my cot in her pajamas. Her dark hair hung in messy morning curls, and her clothes were wrinkled loosely around her slight form. Her simulated emotions and human features were meant to sell a product, nothing more, but her smile was warm, and her hands tender as she resumed her pulling and shaking in an effort to wake me. Against my wishes, I lifted myself up with a sigh of effort and looked at her directly. "You can stop now" I said plainly. In response, she obeyed and stood before me. My back was stiff and sore from the night on the cot. In hindsight, the bed would've been far more useful for my frail human body, but one glance at the newly found energy on the doll's face erased any regrets I had. "Shall we prepare for the day?" She asked. "Of course." I responded. The doll smiled and left the room in a strange mix of hops and bounces, taking care to land silently and avoid damaging the tools and supplies strewn across the floor. I lifted myself from the rigid cot and made my way clumsily to the bathroom.

Technically speaking, dolls didn't need to care for themselves the way humans did, and Smith Co had no such regulations. However, my sense of hygiene was stricter, so Sass wasn't exempt from human hygiene in my eyes. We stood together in the cramped bathroom simultaneously brushing our teeth and washing our faces. Our synchronization was peculiar so I stopped washing myself and turned to face her. In accordance, she also lifted herself from the sink and returned my actions. I was curious as to why she was copying me so I simply asked "Why're you copying me?" Blankly, she stared at me implying the fact that I was missing out on something. "It's to help build a bond between you and I as members of a squad." Is what she said with an almost surprised voice. I couldn't help but think over her words for the remainder of the time I spent in the bathroom.

As the two of us left the room, I grabbed my own parka and followed Sass out the door. I glanced at her bright face and smiled to myself. Perhaps our partnership wasn't awful after all. We retraced our steps from the day prior and found our way to the outside of the building. The morning air was crisp and the sound of marching squads came from the road leading to the mess hall. I noticed Sass's movements slowly becoming rigid with each step. I halted our squad and examined her arm. I touched it, and it was stone cold contrary to the warmth I had felt in the morning. I hastily unzipped my parka and took it off. Although Sass was merely a doll, I made an effort to keep her spirits up and her condition meeting the highest standards. Like her hygiene, this unnecessary task was an essential for me. To prevent the same thing from happening again, I re enabled her heat receptors for her to become aware of herself. With that taken care of, we finally set off to the mess hall.

At the mess hall line, we had to wait for other squads to finish eating. The line stretched around itself three times before finally reaching the point that we stood at. Before us was another squad from Charlie Company, Squad 50. The commander of Squad 50 was a friendly man with dark hair and an impressive beard to match his hearty laughter. He introduced himself as Alex Holst, and showed me his squad. It was another small squad, yet it was still larger than mine. His squad consisted of himself, and 4 tactical dolls: standard issue AR-15s.

During breakfast, Holst and I discussed our backgrounds before SC and found that we shared a passion for drinking alcohol. We chuckled together as we shared our stories, and his genuine speech made me begin to feel comfortable at Pacific Base. Meanwhile, Sass had tried to engage in a similar discussion, to no avail. The ARs wouldn't speak, so eventually Sass gave up. "West, you're new right?" Asked Holst. I shot him a "No really" look and he grinned. "Figure that doll of yours can out shoot my AR squad? No. 2 is the most accurate, and she holds the record for groupings at 500 meters in our company." "Is that an issued challenge there? Might want to watch yourself since my doll is a marksman rifle." I replied. "Really?" He said. "Guess there's only one way to find out isn't there?"

At the range, the sun had come out, and the air was deathly hot. Holst stood at the side of his AR-15 and I kneeled next to Sass who began to sight her scope in for 500m. "Come on girl, go get 'em" I told her with a pat on her head. She looked up with a look of fear in her eyes and nodded in agreement. "Relay will fire 5 shots from the prone position towards a target at a distance of 500m. Relay will now fire when ready." Announced Holst. The sky went stiff with anticipation when the first shot rang out. And then another followed. AR-15 had fired two shots before Sass could even aim. Seeing this, she hurriedly snapped off a shot, and missing the target altogether. "Crack. Crack. Crack." Went the AR-15 rifle as it fired its remaining shots.

Sass began to tremble as she aimed for another shot. As I saw that, I lowered myself down over her body in prone position. Careful not to touch her in a risque fashion, I held her hands and directed the rifle towards the target. We didn't speak, but I felt her core pulse slow down and stabilize. Together, I squeezed her hand in mine and pulled the trigger. A shot pierced the target and Sass let out a small celebratory "Yes!" I smiled to myself and repeated the process. In that position, we fired off the remaining shots, and finished. Standing up, I took Sass's hand and lifted her up to examine the target. While the shots did in fact group closer than AR-15's shots, the first round was a miss, thus lowering Sass's score. In the end AR-15 No. 2 was victorious.

After dinner and supper, Sass and I went back to the dorms, choosing to relax rather than to spend recreational time actively. In the room, Sass flopped down onto the single bed and looked up at me expectantly. Confused I sat down next to her and waited for her to talk. "West? Thank you for helping me today. It meant a lot to me, and I'll work hard from now on" she said with an endearing expression. That night I decided to sleep first since Sass had decided to clean the room before sleeping. Later in the night, I woke to find Sass next to my cot in her night clothes. Gently, she tried to lift my body up, however, she wasn't strong enough. I got up and she jumped backwards. "Oh! Commander, I'm sorry for waking you" I shook my head and reassured her that it was fine. With a look of embarrassment she turned to look me in the eyes. "Commander We- Arthur… it's cold. Would you like to share the bed with me?" Said Sass. Taken aback, I looked at her oddly. "It's okay if you don't want to." Sass added. "No it's fine, I'm okay with it." I told her. As one, the pair of us slid into the undersized mattress sheets and were pressed together. Yet, even so, it wasn't uncomfortable. I could hear her sigh with content and feel her silky smooth skin rubbing against my own. Soon, the two of us drifted off to sleep with each other's intimacy and comfort in mind.

"Good night."


	2. Travel Orders

2- Travel Orders

I awoke the next morning to Sass's gentle pulling at exactly 04:30. Her right arm was carefully wrapped around my shoulder as she pulled on me to wake me. I opened my eyes and looked into her deep purple eyes and examined her disheveled hair. "Morning Sass" I whispered as she noticed I was awake. Her eyes squinted from morning grogginess and she gave a long yawn before she replied to me with "Morning commander. Ready to start the day?" Her warm breath and the comfort of her next to me in bed tempted me to return to sleep, but instead, I said "Of course Sass. Ready when you are."

With our routines complete, we buttoned eachother's BDUs and exited the room, being sure to grab both of our parkas this time for the cold morning air. As we approached the mess hall, we were joined by commander Holst who let out a jovial laugh and grin as he caught sight of Sass and I. Once my squad arrived at the end of the mess hall line, Sass and I broke march formation and stood in line with the other squads while Holst went back to the doll dorms to collect the remainder of squad 50. "Lucky fucker. Get to sleep with your doll? Might want to hold off until oath, but to each their own." He said as he parted. Sass and I flushed crimson and intentionally ignored Holst as he left. Our hunger was a more pressing matter to distract ourselves with and we were growing impatient for the line to pass.

Later that morning after breakfast, every squad was marched down to the general purpose area which was a large square of concrete where the majority of rec-time was spent. It faced the shoreline of the mainland and at the front of the square was a large ship's mast with flags hanging from the lines attached to it. The mast was a mosaic of flags from every commander's home countries, as well as the flag of Smith Co showing three white stars arranged in a triangle on a black flag. Around the square was a post office, base supply shop, seating areas, and the commander's living quarters. Every squad stood in their place, with the order being oldest to newest squad from front to back. My squad stood at the very rear on the right side with Charlie Company, opposite to Delta Company on the left.

"Charlie Company, attention!" Called out the company head. From the left, Delta company followed suit. The sound of combat boots hitting the square echoed off of the surrounding buildings, disturbing the disciplined silence of the companies. From the back, I couldn't see past the other squads as a middle aged man stepped to the front of the square and addressed both companies. His voice was deep and resonant as if he were singing a bass line in a choir. "Base company, stand at ease.. stand easy". The squads moved in unison as they brought their left feet up and stomped them down at about a shoulder width apart from their other feet, while at the same time, their hands were placed behind their bodies. Their hands were then dropped to their sides in the "stand easy" position. Standing with Sass, I was unable to see the new base commander, but I was able to hear his voice.

"Good morning Charlie company and Delta company. I am Ervin Lee, and I have been appointed by SC to serve as the new base commander for Pacific base." Everyone attempted to catch a glance of the man as he paused to straighten his uniform. "I've served as a squad commander, and company head for 25 years since my acceptance into SC, so I do in fact have experience to lead." His speech bore on for 30 minutes as he discussed his plans for the base and the growing conflicts overseas. "... So good luck, and I look forward to begin working with you all. Charlie company Squad 51 standing fast, remainder of base company, dismissed." Confused, I looked to Sass for reassurance, but she seemed just as lost as I did when she tilted her head inquisitively to the front of the square. The company head of Charlie marched over to my division and halted before me. "Meet with commander Lee in the base office. That is all." He said before briskly marching away.

It was our third day, and my squad had already found ourselves in the base commander's office for the second time. I timidly knocked on the door and waited for a reply. "Come in" I heard from inside. I opened the door with caution and stepped inside with Sass behind me. Inside was base commander Ervin Lee. His voice sounded lighter off the square, and he looked much like any other SC head. His features were generic and his brown hair was beginning to turn grey. His skin began to show signs of age, yet he sat with a straight posture of pride and dignity. "Squad 51 reporting, sir". I said. He nodded with approval and gestured to the seat before him. I lead Sass to the chair and stood beside her across from the base commander at his desk. His brows lifted at this with a questioning stare, but he seemed to disregard it once he spoke. "As you may know, you as Squad 51 are currently our smallest squad in both Charlie and Delta company." I felt Sass's hand feel for mine, so I held it and gave her a gentle squeeze. "As our smallest combat-capable unit, the heads of Smith Co have decided to deploy you to the Alaskan regions where you will link up with an affiliated company to perform a small op against a local rebel base." He sighed with pity and looked me in the eye. "This is a well paying mission, and you're the only squad small enough to perform it without drawing too much attention. Are there any objections to this?" He worded it as a question but I knew refusal was unacceptable. "Then good luck, you leave at 06:00 tomorrow from the disclosed air terminal. Make SC proud, 51."

To limit attention, we were dressed in civilian clothes. Unlike our blue uniforms, I wore a pair of loose cargo pants and a inconspicuous grey sweater, while Sass had long sleeved white shirt and blue jeans. Our larger weapons were stowed away in our luggages, while I carried a Glock 30S pistol chambered in .45 ACP hidden in a messenger bag filled with documents and a book. We walked through the airport like any other person and waited in front of the entryway to our flight. We were already accustomed to one another from the past, so we sat in silence so as to not disturb any sleeping passengers. I felt Sass lean her head onto my shoulder and before long, I could hear her soft breathing as she slept. I slowly opened the buckle on my bag and removed my book in an effort to not wake Super SASS from her sleep. I had never familiarized myself with the weapon aspect of my partner, so I took the free time as an opportunity to do so. "Page 110, Super SASS, Armalite." I whispered to myself. I already knew the basics such as her calibre and effective range, but I wanted to learn more in an effort to get closer to my only squad mate. I found little in the way of useful information besides maintenance and construction, so I gave up and stowed the book away in my bag.

-Super SASS-

The rain was dense that day when the tactical doll commander applicants had completed their training with SC. They all wore black trench coats with the three star emblem of the PMC sewn onto the right side of their coat over the chest area. As each applicant was assigned a doll, they marched rigidly with their new companions towards one of many nearby APCs marked with the designated posting of each new commander and doll pairing. When cadet Arthur West was called, he was naturally given the least serious doll to match his own demeanor. Together, we were posted at the small inland base No. 25 for a year. While other commanders trained with their dolls and received new dolls through the course of their careers, West and I were unconcerned with much besides our role as a standard combat squad. However, we were never sent out, and as a result, it was only ever the commander and myself. Unlike the other commanders who amassed collections of dolls, the commander only had me, a rank 3 doll. Even so, he didn't seem to care about our position. He cared for me as if I were human, and we grew close during our training sessions as a squad.

Smiling with the memories in mind, I opened my eyes to see the commander sitting at the terminal next to me. Though he was young, his hair had begun to grey around the edges, and he looked more tired than I thought he felt. "Commander, there's a line forming in front of the desk." I told him. Hearing my voice, he stopped spacing out and looked in the direction I pointed. With our belongings in tow, we approached the desk and handed the staff dolls our tickets. We then proceeded to find our seats. When we did, Arthur pointed out the window seat for me as he lifted our baggage to the overhead storage above us and sat down beside me once he finished. He gave a yawn of exhaustion and proceeded to fall asleep on my shoulder like I had on his a few minutes prior. I directed my attention out the window and watched as the runway was seemingly pulled away from us, and I closed my eyes to enjoy the lifting feeling and the excitement it gave me. After a while, I glanced outside and watched the morning sky in awe as the sun rose over the clouds, turning them into an orange sea of cotton. The memories and the view of the sun rise were left in my mind as I slowly nodded off and lost consciousness.

Later in the day, the commander and I were woken up by the pilot's voice and the sound of the aircraft preparing for landing. "What adversities await us?" I thought to myself. Images of fierce guerilla fighters and hunter squads appeared in my mind across the cold tundras of Alaska. Gun fire spraying the air and tearing apart the very fabric of space around my body only for one to hit and sink into the commander or I. Biocomponents and human flesh alike laid down across the crisp white snow. I snapped out of it as I had a glimpse of the ground beneath us. It was bare, but still green. The wilderness seemed similar enough to the woods I was used to, and the commander seemed comfortable as he saw the terrain as well. My mind began to ease as I focused on the beautiful sights of the trees and fields on the ground.

At the small airport, the commander lead me to the parking lot where we were met with a large military truck. The words "PMC AEGIS" were painted on the doors of the truck underneath a shield that was superimposed over two crossed Springfield rifles. The back flap was lifted up by a man dressed in a thick white coat with a black kevlar vest on top. He beckoned for us to enter the truck, and when we did, the flap was closed, leaving us in darkness. Soon, I could feel the truck growl as the engine was activated, and we began to advance to our location.

In the silence, I was unable to see so I reached for the luggages and unzipped mine. I activated night vision and fumbled around with my zippers and buttons until I could slide my jeans off. I lifted my shirt over my head and dropped it in a heap beside me. With my clothes stripped, I searched for my BDU and changed into it. As I slipped my parka on, the flap lifted and we were summoned outside. I hopped off of the vehicle and landed on the concrete noiselessly and told the commander to change into his own BDU. After a few minutes, he emerged with his uniform and we followed the Aegis member to a series of barracks. We found a two person room for ourselves and unpacked our belongings as we awaited instructions. We heard a knock on the door as we finished removing our belongings from our baggage and found a Aegis FNC type doll standing at the door with two bags. In those bags were our new Aegis uniforms without the emblem sewn onto the chest. In its place, the tri-star emblem of SC was present. Besides the logos, our uniforms were identical to that of the Aegis members.

In the technologically advanced command room of the Aegis base, we examined a holographic map of a rebel compound north of our location and listened as the Aegis commanders discussed our role in the operation. As the smallest group, we would be inside the compound, disabling any equipment we could before fleeing and signalling the assault. The dim glow of the blue lights in the room cast eerie shadows onto the ceiling and walls. The commanders' eyes looked dark and hollow, as did mine I assumed. We all stood in that room like ghosts at a haunting, grim and ready. And so it was that at 00:30 the next day, mission 1 of squad 51 would begin as we snuffed the lives of the rebels.


	3. Ghost of Anchorage

3- Ghost of Anchorage

"Night vision mode on." It was 00:30 and our first mission was underway. The soft whirr of the helicopter faded off into the distance leaving just our squad in the clearing. It was a small space surrounded by tall trees and grass with a small stream running past. Only the silhouettes of objects were shown by the moonlight without night vision. I looked to West and whispered "Good luck." He shook his head and said "luck'll get us killed." I couldn't respond to that so we continued to trek along the Alaskan wilderness in silence. We traveled like that for about an hour until we reached a meadow with the rebel compound in the centre of it. The compound was made up of a few tents for vehicles, and several more for personnel. A hand full of armed guards paced the perimeter of a fence that encompassed every tent. I waited in the underbrush while the commander spoke into his comms. "Squad 51 in position for Operation Dagger. We will move in now and avoid engagement unless necessary." It was hard to see each other in our all black combat uniforms, so I jumped when I felt a tap on my back. "Don't get killed please. I'd like my only squadmate to stay intact." I snickered under my breath. "Let's dance"

Hand over mouth to silence, blade into throat, twist to make extra doubly sure. And just like that, one rebel guard was crumpled on the ground with blood leaking from his neck. Although I heard no sound, I knew that a short ways away, the commander had done the same to another guard. I fox walked over to where he told me to meet him, and sure enough, I found him at a loose section of the gate. "Terribly convenient don't you think?" He muttered. He made a sweeping motion for me to enter, so I dropped to my stomach and wriggled under the gate. As soon as my feet were through, West did the same. I searched the area around me and found the first vehicle tent right in front of us, concealing the gap in the fence. Inside said tent, we found an armoured car with an M249 hastily mounted to the top. "Damn, I don't have explosives. I have training paint grenades." Said the commander. Without wasting time, I set the C4 to the bottom of the car and connected it to the detonator which then displayed a green light. "There. Perfect."

I ducked out of the tent and lifted my rifle barrel as I quickly scanned my surroundings. No hostiles were in sight. As one entity, the commander and I noiselessly glided to the next tent and I set up another block of C4 on a similar car. The process was repeated at every tent until we had connected explosives to every vehicle and ammo cache in the base. "Why don't we just attach explosives to the human tents?" I asked in a barely audible breath. "We weren't told to" answered West. With our task completed, we silently retreated back to the woods and went prone in a bush. "This is 51-2 to Aegis squads 125, 167, and 218. Charges have been set and will be detonated on my mark. At that time, begin the attack." I said into my comms. "3, 2, 1, begin."

Clouds of fire burst into the air, painting the ground orange, and sending debris flying around the area. Shortly after, rebel squads scrambled out of their tents with rifles in hand. The commander unslung his M14 EBR and took aim at the escaping rebels. I followed suit and we both started firing into the frenzied targets. We watched as each enemy fighter burst into a pile of organs and red spray, only to immediately redirect our attention to new targets. We kept repeating our actions until finally the commander of squad 125 said "Thank you for the support, we will now extract supplies from the tents." It dawned on me that they were extracting supplies, and it made sense why we didn't target the other tents.

"Commander?" I asked. Arthur turned to me and raised his eyebrows as if to say "what is it?" I blushed slightly with embarrassment. "I'm glad you're okay. I don't know what I'd do without you. From my time active, you're all I've ever had." The commander turned to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Of course I wouldn't leave you. It'd feel like a stab to my heart if we were separated by squad assignment, or if, god forbid, one of us were killed." I reached to my shoulder with my right hand and clutched his arm. "Please don't get killed. I need you commander." He laughed a bit in reply. "I told you, I won't leave you. Not now, not ever."

-Arthur West-

As we relaxed with our operation completed I looked at Sass and gave her a thumbs up. "Good shooting earlier, Sass." I said. It was a drastic improvement over the range shooting with Squad 50. Her face lit up at the complement. "Thank you, commander." It was at that moment that the tent Squad 125 was in was sprayed by machine bullets. The sound of enemy shots pierced my ears and we began to search for the source of it. "Enemy gunfire from the south, seek cover and return fire." Cried out a doll from one of the Aegis squads. As the Aegis squads ran behind boxes and anything else they could fit behind, my squad sprinted to the right flank of the gunfire through the trees. An Aegis Mosin-Nagant returned fire, but was cut down by machine gun bullets, releasing a spray of mechanical parts and shredded synthetic skin.

"The trees! Get to them! We'll be able to hide better in them than here in the open." Shouted an Aegis commander. His SMG/AR dolls ran with him as another squad from behind lay down suppressing fire with an MG. As they made it to the final stack of boxes before "no-man's' land", they stopped and fired back towards the enemy squad in an effort to cover the remaining 2 squads' advance. Before making the final move to the forest, the third squad prepared to once again suppress the enemy fire. As the other squads rushed across the clearing, an IDW was ripped apart, and a STEN was wounded beyond repair. Once the final squad had made it to the trees, they all waited for us to create an opening to strike back.

I slid on my knee and went prone behind bushes on a hill overlooking a smaller hill a few hundred meters away. Through the trees I could see an enemy squad of dolls. I recognized the squad dolls as Sangvis Ferri models and my heart froze. "51-1 to Aegis squads, It's not a guerilla ambush. The enemy fire is from Sangvis Ferri tactical dolls. I repeat, Sangvis Ferri tactical dolls. I see one squad of 5 normal dolls, and 2 machine gunners. My squad will engage, but be wary of other squads." I raised my eye to the rifle scope and designated one of the MGs for Sass. On my signal, take out your designated MG. Ready?" "Yes." She said. I breath in and paused for a moment. "Shoot."

The heads of the two MGs burst open simultaneously, dropping both to the ground. The remainder of the Sangvis squad ducked behind rocks allowing the Aegis squads to advance and knock them out with incendiary grenades. Just as I was about to celebrate, a bullet struck my rifle handguard, shattering the fore end and rendering the rifle inoperable. "Shit, Jaegers." I hissed as I dropped the rifle and skittered backwards pulling Sass with me. We fell into a small dirt trench and laid ourselves flat against it, heart and core pounding. The Sangvis units were below the hill we were on, but we couldn't see their units. "Commander, the Jaeger units might be using digital camouflage. If we were to disable them, we could fight on even ground against them." Said Sass. I nodded in agreement. "You're right, but how?" We looked at one another and grinned. "Training grenades."

"Give me a general area" I whispered. Sass Peered over the trench and dropped back down after a few moments. "Behind the rocks to our right, in between our hill and the one opposite." She said quickly. I handed her a grenade and held one myself leaving one more for potential use. "Ready? Breath, focus, and… throw!" I cried out. We pulled ourselves over the trench edge and flung the grenades over to the rocks that the jaegers were shooting from. A blast of red paint covered the area, leaving 3 red humanoid figures standing. "This is Squad 51, enemy snipers have been marked. Return fire immediately." A hail of bullets from the Aegis MGs pelted the enemy squad sending chunks of rock, dirt, and tactical doll into the ground as bits of them shot up from their bodies.

We lay in the trench with adrenaline coursing through our veins from the action we just witnessed. "Should we link up with the Aegis squads?" Asked Sass. "Yes we should. Contact them and let's get moving." I said. Sass nodded and spoke into her comm link. "Squad 51-2 to Aegis forces. Requesting location for rendezvous." There was no reply. "Attention Aegis forces, please provide location for rendezvous." Again nothing. "Commander, there's nothing coming from the Aegis squads. I was puzzled. "They were in the woods to the north just a few moments ago." "Exactly, which is why this is-"

"Run…" said a voice into the comms. "Please run away…" It said again. This time barely more than a whisper. "That's odd." Muttered Sass. The world went silent for a moment as we sat in the trench alone. All signs of combat were gone, and the forest seemed devoid of life. "Yes indeed, run." Laughed a female voice. Instinctively, Sass threw herself onto me face down in a hug, and I felt a searing pain in my left shoulder no more than a second later. "You should have run earlier. It would've been more fun to chase you, you know? Said the female voice. I looked up and saw a dark shape looming over top of Sass and I. My night vision goggles were no longer functional, so I simply listened to the figure. "Anything to tell me before you die, honey?" Asked the voice. "No. Nothing to tell scum like you." I replied. "Oh? A feisty one? I like you quite a lot, but my dear old friend would've ripped you apart already. I miss that damn Reaper" The woman bent down and caressed my cheek. I flinched at the contact, and she laughed. "If you regain contact with them, tell your superiors this: We were defeated by the Ghost of Anchorage. I'll let you live if you do." I grinded my teeth in pain and frustration. I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of my agreement, but there was no loss to it, and dying from pride was pointless. "Fine, I agree." I told the woman. "Excellent. See you around love. And with those final words, she was gone.

I could feel the biocomponents of a tactical doll leaking onto my shoulder, so I looked up to find Sass also stabbed through the shoulder. I couldn't tell for sure, but it felt like a thin metal rod had been forced through both of our bodies. Her head rested on top of mine, and she was sprawled out over me. "Sass, can you hear me?" I asked. I heard nothing until I strained me ears. "Yes." Is all she replied with. We lay there together in the trench, with the metal rod pinning both of us to the ground. "Commander, it hurts, so much." She said softly. I could hear her voice break. "Yes it does." I replied. The night grew darker as I lost blood. With my remaining energy, I reached up and grabbed the rod. I began to dislodge it painfully from myself in an effort to be free. I groaned with effort and could hear Sass's laboured breathing as the rod exited our bodies, leaking blood and oil alike.

Finally, the rod came loose and hit the ground to my right. Like a rag doll, Sass rolled off of me and landed with a soft cry of pain beside me facing upright. We lay there with our limbs tangled for a few brief moments as we greedily breathed in air and attempted to regain our focus. Together, we began to work on sealing and cleaning each other's wounds with bandages and other medical supplies we were provided with. After a few painful minutes of bandaging the wounds, and trying our damndest to suppress the bleeding, we finally began to slow our blood loss and stitch the wounds with our emergency supplies. Soon, we were safe from the immediate danger of bleeding out, but we still were alone in the Alaskan wilderness with no support and no way to contact Aegis or SC.

"We have emergency rations to last us a few days. Maybe a week or two if we're extra careful." I said. "Technically, since you're larger and are human, you'll require more food. We can share a ration pack each day, and I'll have about a third of it." Sass replied. "I'm not having any of that and you know it." I retorted. I turned my head to face her. "You're all I have. Telling me to have more rations than you is asking too much from me." Sass sighed and met my gaze. "Fine." She said in return. After resting on the ground for a few moments, I sat up. "Do we have anything to sleep with?" I asked. Sass nodded and dragged a spam can out from her bag. It was labeled with "SLEEPING BAG, MOUNTAIN, M1949". "I kept it with me in case we needed it. I guess it was a good move, right?" Said Sass with a small laugh. The sleeping bag was meant for 1 user, but it was able to fit the two of us after we stripped off everything but our pants and shirt. "It's like when we slept together at Pacific Base, except we're in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness, alone." I told Sass. In the dark, she gave a weak smile. "You're all I have. But that's okay, because you're all I need." I looked up at the stars and felt warmth spread through me. "You're all I want." I answered. Together in the confines of the sleeping bag, we took our breaths as one, as I felt Sass's chest rise and fall at the same time as my own. The stars watched us that night as we slept under the black sky, looking to an uncertain future, and the promise of our companionship.


	4. Lost and Found

4- Lost And Found

-STEN Mk II-

"Move back! We can't hold this area any longer!" Said an Aegis commander. The Aegis squads hurriedly grabbed supplies from the trenches and climbed over the parapets. We moved like frantic rabbits escaping from a predator as we madly stumbled and fell over one another, desperate to escape the massacre. "Fuck, it's useless. We should be withdrawing altogether." Whispered an FNC next to me. We abandoned a group of MGs as they held off the advancing Sangvis. Our white cloaks danced wildly as we ran, and the falling snow storm blinded our squads. The cold bit into our flesh and circuitry, yet we continued to retreat into the trench before the last. Sangvis gunfire ripped apart the snow at our feet.

I tripped and fell head first into the trench. I collapsed brutally and landed on the ground. Doll parts and oil saturated the ground, and the stench of human commander flesh permeated the confines around us. Without time to recover, another doll forcefully lifted me by my wrist and pulled me to the edge of the trench. Without hesitation, I lifted my weapon to my eyes and waited for the cue to shoot. "The hell are you doing?" Asked the doll that lifted me. "T-there's still other squads trying to escape." I stammered. The doll suddenly laughed, her eyes distant and wide with fear. "Fuck them! Start shooting or we'll all die!"

The sound of gunshots echoed in the air. Multiple squads stood in the trench as we all sprayed down anything that moved before us. Over the sounds of our crazed shooting, we could hear the cries of Aegis commanders and dolls as they were caught by our shots. Parts of our comrades that made it close to the trench would occasionally stumble, fall, or fly into our living forces. Loose limbs, bodies, blood and oil stained our BDUs and minds as we turned away and returned to attempting to repel the Sangvis. A retreating MG flopped lifelessly onto me. In alarm, I forced it off and looked into its cold brown eyes as they lay open, gazing lifelessly into the sky from which it fell. Its hair lay matted in blood and snow, starkly contrasting red and white against the soft beige of her curls. I gagged and retched what little i had eaten that day. The smell of vomit tore through the already thick air, making my head spin and vision blur. I pried my eyes away from my comrade to face the slaughter ahead once more.

The waves of Sangvis Ferri units didn't seem to end as we lost more and more ground. Behind us, other dolls worked hastily to dig more trenches, each shallower and less well made than the last. Eventually, there was too much snow to dig trenches, so we simply formed lines and prayed we wouldn't be the next to be brutally disassembled by bullets. As our lines fell one after another, squad commanders began calling commands to flee. Without my own squad, I simply plucked up my own gun, and ran like hell as shots echoed behind me and shredded the ground at my feet.

-Arthur West-

"Damn it." I calmly exclaimed. "Not a single sign of other humans and dolls." Despite the possibility of enemy attack, we'd simply given up on hiding. It was far easier to walk in the plains where we could seek out shelter easier. Sass and I slowly trudged along the Alaskan terrain, seemingly without an end in mind or sight. As the time slipped by, we began to mindlessly advance, like degrading machines. "We aren't the damn army. We don't march everywhere, nor were we ever taught to." I whined. "If you're feeling tired, we can stop to rest." Sass replied. "No. Not now. Can't lose my momentum." I told her.

"There! A house!" Called out Sass. Sure enough, in the distance was a house. It seemed like a small cabin, and it looked like it had been long abandoned. We shared a look and immediately began to trot to the house in the distance. "Come on commander! Keep up!" Yelled Sass as she ran ahead. My aching feet and sore throat began to take a toll on me, and so I walked. Sass stopped and looked at me with a mischievous grin. "Come get me, Arthur." She said as she pranced around me. With a burst of energy, I lunged towards her in a bid to tag her. Her eyes opened wide and we fell onto the ground in a mess of body parts. We untangled ourselves and began to laugh. The sheer absurdity of being alone in the wild, being stabbed, and playing tag like children was probably wearing away our sanity.

Inside of the cabin was very simple. There was a stone fireplace opposite the front door in the middle of the back wall. To the left was a table and two chairs, and to the right was a single bed with unkempt sheets. The entire cabin was still relatively clean, but a fine layer of dust had begin to settle on everything. "Let's settle here until tomorrow. I'm tired of walking." I said to Sass. She smiled and drew out a ration pack from her bag. What do we have today?~" She sang out. There were assorted drinks, snacks, a cheese potato soup, and a pack of chicken fajita. They were all packaged in brown and green bags to be heated. As a PMC, we carried civilian MREs, so we didn't have access to a flameless ration heater. We managed to find water from a pipeline, which we filled our canteens with. To keep the room warm, and to boil water for the rations, we lit a fire in the fireplace. It felt cozy with just our squad in the cabin.

We ate half the ration pack each, with each portion split in half. It was a decent amount of food, and it kept my appetite satisfied. "Commandeeer~ Say ahh." Said Sass cheerily. Without the "Ahh", I opened my mouth and bit off a piece of the pound cake. It was sweet, but well balanced so that it wasn't unbearable. We finished eating and sat on the bed together for me to discuss our next course of action. "With our supplies, we can last about another week, or week and a half. We should be able to find a town to contact SC or atleast find supplies. Howev-" Sass sighed. "Let's just relax. We've done a lot for today." She said. I shrugged. "I guess we can do that."

It began to get hot with the fire on, but it would become too cold if we put it out. Without thinking, I pulled my shirt off and lay down in a puddle of human matter. "Commander, you shouldn't be so careless. You can't expose yourself like that commander. We don't even have an oath!" Cried out Sass. I looked at her as she sat on the bed beside me. "Okay, you can have my oath." I blurted out. There was a moment of silence. "What?" She asked. "Crap." I thought to myself. I took her arm and pulled her onto me. Our faces nearly touched and our eyes locked. "You can have my oath. You didn't mishear me." I wrapped my arm around her in a hug and buried my face in her neck to hide my redness. Her skin felt warm to the touch, and it was bright red when I separated myself from her and looked. "I-I guess it isn't a surprise since I'm your only T-doll. But, I'll do my best!" Said Sass in a high voice. I laughed and pulled her down into another hug. "This is the equivalent of a human marriage, right?" Asked Sass. "Yes it is." I answered. Her face creased into a smile. "Alright, good night." She said as she planted a kiss on my forehead.

As the next morning sun rose, we were prowling the frontier in search of anywhere we could contact SC and Aegis. The air froze my insides as I breathed in, but it was a nice temperature to walk since it prevented us from fatiguing by heat exposure. I felt a quick tap on my right hand, and I saw Sass blush as she saw me turn. Swiftly, with machine precision, she slipped her hand into mine and kept walking. I lifted my gaze and felt my cheeks warm. Gently, I gave Sass's hand a squeeze. She giggled and we carried on, hand in hand.


	5. Return

5- Return

-STEN Mk II-

The sound of gunfire died down as I kept running, until eventually, it was nothing. I panted and watched my breath in front of me fade away as I scanned the trees I found myself to be surrounded by. There weren't any signs of enemy units, or friendly ones, among the cold, dead land. The trees stuck out of the ground like skeletal hands, devoid of flesh and skin. Snow covered every inch of the ground, except for the parts that I had stepped on. Exhaustion wore at my weakened body, and I collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

I opened my bag and searched my supplies. Inside, I found a single meal's worth of rations, and a few extra supplies for medical and miscellaneous use. Disappointed, I sliced open a pack of crackers and cheese spread to temporarily sustain myself. The crackers felt like thick sandpaper against my tongue, and the saltiness of the cheese spread made me gag. Despite that, I forced myself to finish it, and get used to the rations. After I finished my food, I decided getting rest was wise, so I removed my white cloak and wrapped myself inside of it. It scarcely kept me warm, but soon enough, I lost consciousness.

-Super SASS-

As we reached northern Alaska, the weather became even colder, and snow blanketed the ground and trees. After a few days of travel, we became aware of our dwindling ration supply. Low on options and food, we continued on for hours on end. "Arthur?" I tugged at the commander's uniform sleeve. He turned his head, while maintaining his walking pace. "What should we do? We're low on food and water, and we have no means of communicating with Aegis or Smith Co. On top of that we-" The commander wrapped his arms around my shoulder and pulled my body into his. I looked up to his face and saw a glint of determination in his eyes. "Commander?" I asked. He shook his head and held me closer. "Sass, I'm not letting anything happen to you. We're going to get through this and get back to Pacific Base so you can kick that AR's ass." He said. My cheeks grew warm and I nodded. "That's right I guess."

"Oi, love birds, over here." Said a girl's voice. I backed away from the commander and looked around. "Down. Look down." It said again. I follow the voice's instructions, and at the foot of a tree, there was a bundle of blonde hair protruding from a white sheet. The girl lifted the sheet and wrapped it around herself revealing an Aegis BDU. "Yo. Tactical doll STEN Mk II at your service." She said. Her voice sounded upbeat, but her eyes were sunken and distant. "You guys from Aegis?" She asked as she saw our uniforms. I pointed to the emblem on my chest. "Smith Co. We were sent here for a small mission, and we were separated from the Aegis forces we were with." Sten blinked and tilted her head. "Everyone from that mission is gone. Sangvis Ferri units have been active around our areas." My heart sank.

We followed Sten to the site of the combat where she fled from. As we walked, I began to grow colder the longer we travelled for. As we reached, the commander looked to me and gave a face of concern. Softly, he reached out and touched my forehead with the back of his hand and sighed. "I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure you have something like a fever." He said worriedly. "No, I'm fine. Trust me." I reassured him. "Now let's search for some supplies and communication equipment." I stood there with the commander and Sten as they discussed what to do, and then I blacked out.

-Arthur West-

"Oh shit." I thought. Sass toppled over like a domino and landed with a poof in the snow. I went onto my knees next to her and repeatedly slapped her. "Ouch. That's not necessary." Whimpered Sass. I glared. "You should've taken a break or spoken up. Idiot." I told her. Quickly, I took off both our bags and placed the remaining contents from mine into hers. Gently, I put the bag onto her back and lifted her up in a piggy back position. "What the heck? Stop it, I can walk on my own." Said Sass. "Shut up please." I shot back. She obeyed and sagged down onto my back like a cloth. Sten watched the scene unfold and waited until we were done with our small quarrel. "There's no need to carry her." She said. "Rest here, I'll search for supplies and communications devices."

Sass and I sat together in the snow as we waited for Sten to return. I sat behind her and had my legs around her hips, with my arms pulled around her in a tight hug. "You know that's unnecessary right, Arthur?" Said Sass. I pulled her towards me tighter. "I know but I don't care. Feel free to tell me to stop if you don't like it." She slumped over to her right side and I lay her down so that her head rested on my leg. "I'll tell you to stop doing this stuff if I don't like it." She said. "You better be prepared to stay here forever." I smiled slightly. "Well you better stay alive if you want to keep doing this."

"Back." Said Sten. I raised my head and saw her small form looming over me. "Hey." I returned. "I found a radio set, but I'll take a bit to get it working." Sten declared. I nodded in response. We sat together, with Sass unconscious on my lap. We remained silent for a while until the light began to fade out. "Damn it. Just a bit more." She cursed. I tensed up nervously as I watched her rapidly work with the wires and screws, racing against the sun set. Hurriedly, she grabbed two ends of a wire and soldered them together. The hot lead sizzled and cooled, securing the wire ends together. Excited, Sten tapped the power on, and placed the head set over her ears. She grinned. "We're going home."

-Alex Holst-

"Hey Sam." I called out. A short woman with long brown hair in front of me stopped and turned around. "What is it?" Her voice was drowned out by the sound of people going about their daily lives. Car horns honked, and shoes stomped across the pavement as people and dolls went about to their jobs and meetings in the city. A little girl ran by and dropped a cone of ice cream. She began to cry and Sam's face scrunched up for a brief moment, before sighing. "Oh I'm so sorry." Said a woman. "My daughter's terribly energetic." Sam shook her head. "No worries." She put her hands on her knees and looked the girl in the eyes with a smile. "What do you say we go for another cone?"

At the ice cream shop, an old man stood at the counter and dutifully scooped ice cream into cones. He picked up Sam's merits on the counter and passed off the cone in his hand to the girl who stood no higher than the counter. She cried out in delight and turned to leave, but was suddenly stopped by Sam. "Now now, what do we say?" She said kindly. "Thank you." Said the girl. Sam laughed. "That's good. Very good." With that parting remark, Sam and I left the shop and continued on our way.

"He should be right around here." I stated. We sat in a small, clean coffee shop, waiting at a table in a corner of the place. "Oh ho, right there is our man." I chuckled. A young man with wavy brown hair walked in, dressed in a blue shirt and tie. His eyes glowed when he smiled, and he walked over to greet me. A girl next to him in matching clothes followed and sat beside him. Across from me. "This is my friend from Smith Co, Arthur West. He's another commander with Charlie Company." I told Sam. She nodded in response. "And who's this?" She asked, gesturing to the girl. "That's Sass. His tactical doll." I replied. Sam nodded and extended her arm to shake Sass's hand. Sass did the same and the two shook hands. A metal object on Sass's finger shined in the sunlight. "Oh?" I exclaimed.

In the shop, Arthur recounted his time in Anchorage. At times, like when he mentioned being stabbed through the shoulder, I could feel Sam shudder beside me. As an office worker, she didn't understand violence, and the accompanying gore of it. "So, you dolls sleep?" Asked Sam. Sass looked up from her tea and tilted her head to the side inquisitively. "I was always under the impression that your kind didn't need sleep." Continued Sam. I placed a hand on her shoulder firmly. "They might be mechanical in construction, but they're more than just machines." I said. "Ah, I guess that makes sense." Said Sam. At that, Sass's mouth pulled upward in a shy smile. "Look at that smile. Looks human right?" I said. Sam blinked, and focused on Sass's features. "Looks pretty human. I don't think I would've been able to tell she was a doll." I laughed. "Yeah, you're right about that. Anyway, I should take you two back to Pacific Base. See ya later, Sam."


	6. Morning Sun and Evening Breeze

6- Morning Sun and Evening Breeze

-Arthur West-

"SC is doing pretty well financially." Said Alex. Snow lazily drifted about as we drove back towards Pacific Base. "The whole business in Alaska lost Aegis a ton of public favour and respect. They're currently trying to patch things up by fighting against Sangvis Ferri there." I shuddered remembering the frigid landscape of Alaska. "Grifon? With one or two "f"s? Honestly nobody knows, the documents are messy as shit. It really says something about their company, yet they still run rather successfully." Alex continued listing off PMC names, but I could scarcely hear them as exhaustion wore at my eyelids. "And that new fancy split off from GK is..." I sighed. "Alex?" I asked. "I'm going to sleep a bit. Sorry mate." He let out a snort of laughter. "Of course, of course."

-Super SASS-

"Mmm… Arthurrr…" I mumbled. My eyes fluttered open and I looked around. In front of me in the passenger's seat, Arthur was bent over in his sleep like a shrimp, and Alex was driving as he hummed quietly to himself. My arms hanged loosely by my sides, and my cheek was pressed ungracefully against the window. "Oh hey, you're awake." Said Alex. He passed back a bar of chocolate. "Take half. Leave the rest for the shrimp here." He said. "O-oh thank you." I said. "Don't mention it." He replied. I chewed quietly as we sat in silence. My eyes focused on the outside of the car and I watched the snow blanket the land around us. "Hey Sass, how much did you cost?" The sudden question made me jump in my seat. "What?" I asked. He laughed, but it wasn't his usual laugh. "I want something a bit more… adaptive. For a doll anyway." He replied. "They need to learn and grow. While you were away a new squad came around to Pacific Base. Squad 52. They bested my squad in marksmanship, and they're faster than any units we have." Said Alex.

"Arthur, Arthur, wake up". I said. His eyes slowly opened, and he sat up right. "Welcome home, commander." I jokingly said to him. Our uniforms lay messily folded on our table, but other than that, our room looked the same as it did before. The commander groaned. "It's a goddamn Sunday, Sass. We don't have to do anything today." Without sparing effort to lower himself down, he fell backwards and looked up towards me. "Go back to sleep, idiot." Said Arthur. "But, we can go eat early an-" I protested. Arthur reached up to my arm and pulled me onto him. "Sleep." I sighed. I pushed myself off of him and slipped under the blanket next to him. Against his body, I began to drift asleep with his warmth.

Outside in the mess hall, we met up with Holst and his T-dolls. "Morning, kids." He said. I raised my hand in response and Arthur returned his greeting. I sat down at the table across from one one of the AR15s of squad 50, and Arthur sat across from Alex. "Yo, Westie." Said Alex abruptly. "What is it." Said Arthur immediately. "Five rounds at 500 meters. What do you say?" He asked. Arthur opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a new person sitting down next to me. His long black hair draped down to his eyes, and his BDU was carelessly unbuttoned exposing a black shirt underneath. "I accept the challenge." Said the new comer. Alex scoffed. "The challenge was for my friend here, dumbass." The new comer hit the table loudly causing the utensils to jump in their places. "Well now it's for me… dumbass."

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Said the black haired man. "I'm Markus Lieberstein." He said. "Alright that's nice. What do you want?" Said Arthur. I stood behind the corner of the wall and listened with my core pounding. I peeked around the wall and heard a small cry from Arthur. The two were whispering and Arthur look away. And then Markus laughed. "Alright let's get going. I have to rub the smug grin off of Alex's face." With that, he punched West in the stomach and let him drop to the ground.

My vision went red and I surged out from the corner. I lashed out with my fist and drove it towards his jaw. However, before it could connect, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me past him like a discarded wood plank. I swung my leg around to plant my foot in his cheek, but he stepped backwards and drew a USP from his holster. The pistol muzzle was level with my forehead when I dropped and swept his feet out with my leg. A shot discharged, hitting a light behind us in the hall and sending the pistol clattering to the floor. I grasped a knife from my waist band and yanked it out, unfolding the slender blade simultaneously. He threw a flask which hit my nose and he lunged for my neck. I side stepped and punched his side viciously, following up with a slash to the eye. It missed but he staggered to the wall in alarm. There I held him at knife point.

"What was that all about?" Markus asked while panting heavily. I pressed in more with the blade, putting it a hair's width from his throat with mechanical accuracy. He lifted his hand and calmly moved my knife aside. "It was a joke buttercup. I underestimated the force I used." He stated matter-of-factly. "Anyway, calm down or I'll have you killed instantly." I heard a click behind me and I stopped cold. "FAL, don't scare her." Said Markus. "Of course." Said the tactical doll. Her rifle's barrel was aimed directly towards the back of my skull. Fal and Markus nodded to one another, and without further action, they briskly left. The tapping of their shoes slowly faded until it ceased to be perceivable. As soon as I was sure they were gone, I ran over to Arthur and shook his body. "Arthur are you okay? How badly did he hurt you?" I asked. He stared into my eyes with a stone cold glare. "Never attack someone from Smith Co like that again. Ever."

-Arthur West-

"God, you could've gotten us into so much trouble. For us, a reg squad to do something like that, is simply ridiculous." I had slightly calmed down after I saw Sass begin to tear up in shame, but I was still irritated by her sheer disregard for decency. "But, he struck you first…" Murmured Sass. "Yes, but that doesn't give you the right to fight him. I'm sure he was just joking around as well." I said. As we stepped out of the air conditioned car, we were instantly barraged by the merciless heat in the city. "Ahhh jeez, it's burning out here." Whined Sass. I laughed slightly until my own clothes began to soak in sweat. While we should've worn something more professional, we had decided it was far too hot, so we were in simple t-shirts and shorts. "Hey hey!" Called out Sass. I turned to her. She pointed over to a small clothing shop. It had a clean wooden exterior with golden lining along the window, revealing a cute blue and white summer dress inside. "Arthur, could you please lend me some money?" She asked. I sighed. "You haven't even got any to pay me back." Her face drooped and I sighed. "I hate myself" I whispered.

A few minutes later, Sass was happily bouncing along with each step in her new dress, despite the intense heat. "Thank you, Arthur." She said as she beamed. I nodded and forced a tired smile. We stepped into a large building. The sleek marble floor shined under the sun's glow wherever we looked. "Alright, I'll spend a bit talking with Sam about our new post." I said "Can I come?" Asked Sass excitedly. I shook my head. "Tell you what? I'll give you a bit of freedom right now." At that, her eyes brightened and she hugged me. "I haven't even said everything yet." I yelped. She backed away and looked at my face happily. "I'll give you a bit of money, feel free to use it. Also, be safe. I'll call you when we're done, alright?" She nodded in response.

-Super SASS-

"Where to first?" I asked myself. The morning sun had died down, and the hint of an evening breeze tickled my cheeks as I strolled around the city. Far from the terrors of the modern battlefield, children ran along with one another in blissful ignorance of the world as their parents struggled along behind. Nearby, a small convoy of returning soldiers of the armed forces trudged past the gathered crowds. Trucks with men in them moved past slowly, as if the machines themselves had grown tired. I dug my way to the front of the crowd on the sidelines and watched in awe as the armoured dolls marched past. "Look mom! The robots are so cool!" Said a little boy to his mother beside me. The mother bent down and quickly shushed the boy. "They're machines. Machines can only kill." She whispered in an accent before she looked around and grabbed the boy by the arm. "Let's go." As the woman turned, a card slipped from her pocket and clattered on the pavement beneath.

"Wait!" I called while I ran to catch up with the woman and her child. The woman turned around and stopped with a questioning look on her face. I caught up and handed over her ID card. "You dropped this earlier." I said with a slight pant. Her eyes glowed slightly as she accepted her card back. "Oh, thank you." She said. Before she could leave, I stopped her again. "About earlier. Why're you so against the T-dolls?" I asked. She suddenly looked down. "A year ago, my husband was killed by one in Russia. My son and I moved here after." She said. A small "Oh" escaped my mouth. I wanted to say something to comfort her, or tell her that I was sorry. Instead I simply said "Machines can do more than kill. I returned your wallet." Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized what I had said, and then she immediately regained her composure. "I guess you may be right."

A few minutes later, I could feel my phone vibrating in my bag. I removed it and checked the caller. It said "Arthur West" so I answered. "Hello?" I asked. "Hey you can come back now." Said Arthur. "You'll like the news, Sass." My curiosity was piqued. "What is it, what is it?" I cried out. "He laughed. "Squads 50, 51, and 52 are transferring to Smith Co's new base in America. We'll be in one of the big cities for a bit."


	7. Transfer

7- Transfer

-Markus Lieberstein-

"So, what's up guys?" I said. At the gate of Pacific Base, squads 50, 51, and 52 had gathered in the evening. Everyone was dressed in western business attire, but with the exception of squad 51, we all looked like scrap sheets of paper that had been stepped on too often in the waste bin. Holst's tactical dolls were all from Pacific Base, so only he was making the transfer as a member of 50. "Jesus everyone is sombre. The hell is up with you rags?" I tried again to break the tension. From behind me, a hand sharply hit my shoulder. Looking back, I saw FAL and Vector, with Vector disapprovingly shaking her head as if to say "Just stop". My chest deflated and I slouched over. "You know, you could at least try to blend in with us and stop being a dick." Said Arthur. His brown hair was pasted down with a green cap, and a matching green coat made him look even smaller than he was. Behind him, Sass stood menacingly.

The inside of the airplane was dark with the exception of the dim red light of the bay. The black silhouettes of armoured vehicles loomed over the passengers on the starboard side of the craft. With the exception of the vehicles and our 3 "squads", it was relatively empty. The ride was quite short and we soon disembarked.

"Welcome to your home… for a bit of course." Said a man in a clean suit and tie. Our squads found ourselves in the middle of a miraculously large reception hall. The stone floor was polished to perfection, and the chandelier above radiated a comforting light. I walked over to one of the lush red couches and sat down. "Even the seats are top notch." I remarked. Trailing in behind me, Vector and FAL waited expectantly for instructions. "Oh come on, it's a new city with beautiful sights. Go take the stuff up, and do as you wish." I said with a hint of exasperation. The two collectively said "Okay" and went off to store our luggage in one of the rooms. With my squad gone, I turned to Arthur and Alex. "I think all of us may have gotten off on the wrong foot. What do you say we go and enjoy the nightlife?"

-Arthur West-

"Hey Mark? Where'd FAL and Vector go off to?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "I don't know. They're somewhere." He answered. A slight bit of irritation hit me. "Then what do I do with Sass?" I half yelled. As I said that, I felt a tug on my coat sleeve. "I could come." Whispered Sass. I gave a long exhale while rolling my tongue with frustration. "Alright, but don't misbehave." I said. She perked up and hugged my arm. Turning around, I looked to Markus for whatever was next. "Any great plans, leader." I said satirically. Markus laughed, probably in an attempt to be polite. "We'll figure it out as we go."

At night, small crowds littered the sidewalks and massed around various vendors that were lit with bright neon lights. Despite the cold air, the quantity of people kept everyone warm. "God, it's loud here." Said Alex. I silently agreed in my head. The night sky was saturated with laughter and speech, drowning out the noises in the background. Alex, Markus, and myself strode along in a small cluster as we discussed our similarities. Sass continued to clutch onto my hand while we conversed. After laughing slightly with Holst, Markus suddenly became quiet before addressing all of us. "Look. I know you guys may have be a slight bit pissed by everything I did, but that's in the past." He said earnestly. "Let's all try to work together, alright?" He asked as he stopped to extend his hand towards me. I also stopped and watched his face. His eyes had a genuine luminescence to them, so I reached out and shook his hand with my free one.

The inside of the bar was, surprisingly quiet, in contrast with the deafening sound outside. The heat was slightly overbearing, but the alcohol helped to distract all of us from it. "Commandeer~?" Chirped Sass with excess sweetness. "What is it?" I asked curtly, not wanting to be disturbed in my conversation. Hearing my tone, Sass recoiled slightly with widened eyes. "A-alright then. I'll be out to get some air." She said, slightly hurt. After a few moments, I turned to the other guys to continue talking but they both stared at me. "What?" I asked. "Go make sure she doesn't do anything stupid, mate." Alex said. "Right" I thought. I stood up from my seat and pardoned myself. "I'll be back in a bit then, guys."

"Sass?" I asked. On the top floor, I found Sass standing at the edge of the building, watching the lights below. "Hey, about earlier. I just got cau-" I paused abruptly in my speech as I approached her. With her body turned to face me, I couldn't think of what to say. Her button was undone halfway down, with her tie loosened to breathe. Against the bright city lights and stars, her eyes shined the brightest with a beautiful mix of white and purple. Her long hair softly danced with the wind along and her smooth pale skin became a subtle blend of neon colours. "What is it?" She said dryly. "Are you done with your conversation?" I was taken aback. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you this badly?" I asked. "Perhaps." She quietly said to herself. "I'm a girl you know?" I smiled. "Don't use that excuse, I already know you are one." Her face softened and her eyes fixed onto me. With the speed of a bullet, she advanced and pushed me onto my back.

-Super SASS-

I straddled Arthur's hips and placed my arms on his chest. I could see his throat contract as he swallowed, and his cheeks redden slightly as he looked down. "So?" I asked. "Is it because I'm a machine." His eyes moved away from mine. "Why do you think that?" He said. "Because you ignore me so much, and you always always look at other people." I whined. He looked to me curiously. Slowly, and with great care, he reached up and put his arms around my neck and pulled me closer. "I don't look at others. Why would I want to look at stones if I have the most gorgeous gem on the planet?" He whispered. Despite the cringe worthiness of his words, my face flushed crimson and I buried it in the side of his neck. "Then…" I decided to venture into something I had been meaning to ask. Or maybe it was just the alcohol talking. "What do you think of me?" I shyly mumbled. I couldn't see his face, but it must have been his usual thinking face where he creases his forehead and squints in concentration. "That's tough." He replied. "Huh? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I thought to myself. "Let's continue this later at the hotel. You need time to cool down. And button up your shirt or you'll catch a cold." He casually said as he gently pushed me off and stood up while holding my wrist and lifting me. "Off we go."

At the hotel, Alex and Arthur shared a room, and Vector took the other room with FAL. The third was for myself and Arthur. The room had a nice lush carpet, with simple, yet elegant, wood furniture. There were two beds beside each other. The room window overlooked the back of the hotel which had a view overlooking the garden. However, the lack of light outside meant that said view was obscured. After changing, I sat on my bed and watched Arthur. "So?" I ask. Hearing me, he walked closer and leaned forward as if to whisper into my ear. Instead, he kept going and laid me down on the mattress. "Hey you can't just do tha-" I squealed before being silenced. His mellow lips caressed mine and pressed in more when he leaned. "Nnn…" His scent surrounded me and I wrapped my body around his in response. When he stopped, he withdrew and watched my face. I was bright red in the face and my eyes refused to meet his. "What. The. Fuck." I said. "You wanted to know what I think of you." He replied. "And I love you, so much." His face was thoughtful, and he watched me as he spoke. I scoffed. "Oh please, you jest." I said playfully. "Want me to prove it, Sass?" He said in return. I gazed into his deep brown eyes. "Yes I would." I instinctively said.

"Good god what did we do?" A sliver of light seeped through the hotel room curtains, leaving small bright spots on the floor. I slowly rolled over with a pounding headache. The bed that Arthur and I occupied looked as if a wind storm had hit it. "Ah shit, I got too fucking drunk didn't I?" I asked. "Mhmm." Mumbled Arthur into his pillow. With the speed of a sloth, I drew myself up and blinked. Sagging out of bed, I slipped on some simple clothes to keep warm. In the bathroom, I began to brush my teeth and carry on with my morning routine.

Once we were both changed, Arthur and I made our way down to the lobby to meet with the others. In the morning, the lobby seemed to look more cheerful, and less professional than it did in the evening. "Aight how was last night?" Called out Alex. "Pretty damn cold, wasn't it?" His face seemed to center on Arthur. "Nah man, it was pretty okay." Said Arthur. Markus snickered. "Was that because of the dummy linking?" He asked. "I'm not linked to any dummies." I said quickly. "Yeah, not that." Markus replied. "Oh ya, not that either." I said. There was a slight pause before Alex broke it. "Where are we meeting today?" Arthur directed his gaze towards him when he spoke. "We're not meeting anywhere, we've got a van, so we're heading there directly."

While it was certainly hot outside, the van was tolerable because of the air conditioning. Holst was driving with Markus in the passenger seat. The dolls from squad 52 were in the middle, and 51 was in the back. As we got bored, we began to sing like an acapella group, really really poorly. The only one of us who had any talent for singing was Arthur. His voice had a large range from low and mellow, to higher than a kite. "-blaze into the stars, a trail of glory..." His voice had the majesty of a royal palace. I couldn't help but be in awe. Suddenly, he stopped. "The hell is that?" He asked. In front of us was what looked like a giant armoured spider with a gun on top. "Holy shit, it's a manticore." Whispered Alex.

-Alex Hols-

Before our eyes was a Russian manticore. Everything around me seemed to slip away, leaving only the steel beast, with its armour plates and wires remaining. The sight of it struck a deep sense of primal fear into my heart. My forehead broke out into a cold sweat as my eyes became encapsulated by the view of the manticore's imposing form. "What the fuck is a manticore doing here?" I asked out loud.

With the image of the manticore burned into my eyes, I hardly noticed when we reached the new base. "Hello there?" Asked the guard standing at the gate. I jumped in my seat slightly. "Yeah, what is it?" I asked. "Why're you even fucking here?" Whispered the guard. I was slightly annoyed but I went with it and answered. "Squads 50, 51, 52 reporting for duty." I said in a clear voice. The guard looked into the back windows, and then back at me. "Alright, get going." I softly pressed on the van's gas pedal and advanced into the base parking lot. In front of us was a well kept office building made of concrete with glass window panels to break up the monotony of the exterior.

We first arrived at the armoury in the building, where personnel would store their arms. "This shouldn't take long." I said. I lifted up an AR-15 SBR and placed it on one of the upright racks. I looked to my right and saw Sass stripping apart Arthur's bag. "What the fuck?" I thought to myself as they began to remove multiple firearms from their bags and clothing. "Oh hey, remember these?" Asked Arthur. He held up a training grenade. Sass nodded and they kept talking as they unloaded their guns. Markus carried a simple USP 45, so he waited with me as the other two did their stuff. I turned to him to speak when my eyes peeled open in surprise. "Oh hell, go back!"


	8. Match to Light The Flame

8- Match to Light The Flame

-Vector-

"Ugh." I said quietly. The manticore menacingly crept along the parking lot, searching for something. "What is it doing here?" Asked FAL. Her voice sounded almost bored. She peered over to me. "Do we kill it?" She said casually. I returned her question with a blank stare. "I don't know if I can." I said quietly. "But sure, let's do it". Markus stepped forward next to us and groaned. "FAL, do your thing." He said with a slight note of panic. "And Vivi? Just forget your common senses for a bit." I nodded.

FAL rested the end of her rifle on a shot out window frame, and let loose two rounds. The first struck the side, drawing its attention, the second penetrated one of the cameras on the underside of the manticore's gun. As gunfire rang out, the few staff members of the new base ran frantically to cover in the building. The machine paused briefly, so I took the opportunity and sprinted out from behind a concrete barricade. My core rapidly beat as my legs glided along the ground at breakneck speeds. The manticore's gun moved aimlessly as it tried to gain its bearings without the gun camera. I reached the fore right leg, and slid beneath the main body. As I did, I lifted the muzzle of my weapon up, and emptied a magazine into what I thought were the soft spots. Sparks flew, and loose wires dangled. Just as I began to flee, the gun turned to face my body.

"Shit!" I squeaked unintentionally. A strong pain burst across my head as a heavy object hit my head. I collapsed to the floor next to an assault rifle, which I assumed was what had been thrown at my head. Blindly, the manticore's main gun discharged wildly above me. Bullets crumbled concrete and glass in their paths, until finally the shooting subsided. Above me, I saw Markus hurriedly bend down and reach for my grenades. "Sorry Vivi, gotta borrow these." He quickly sputtered. "Sorry about the rifle. It was better than seeing you become Emmental." He tossed two of the grenades towards the manticore and dove down next to me. "Now's not a good fucking time to die." He spat.

-Arthur West-

The grenades traveled in an arc towards me. I reached out both my hands caught them before dropping onto my stomach and crawling under the remains of a car. "Go for it, Sass!" I called out. Sass quickly lifted herself from the security booth of the parking lot and repeated Vector's movements. This time however, she threw C4 explosive onto its underside. Like a falling domino, she hit the ground beside me and squeezed the detonator. A brilliant ball of light blinded me temporarily. I painfully blinked it away and pulled myself out of the confines of the car I was hiding under.

Without the desire to waste a second, I made my way to the underside of the manticore. With cool precision, I yanked the pins off of the two incendiary grenades and forced them into the manticore's electronic hardware. Oil sprayed onto my body, as if I were digging bricks into a dying animal. I leapt away as fast as I could, and landed next to the car I used before. Sass grabbed my wrist and pulled the rest of my body behind the car and we waited. The grenades went off in a beautiful blast, and we sat breathing heavily as the manticore fell to the parking lot pavement. The fire ate away at its internals, and soon, the whole beast was laid out flat on the ground. Markus' eyes fixed onto the fallen manticore. "Holy crap, I can't believe that worked."

I once again removed myself from the car wreckage and pulled Sass up. Vector and Markus joined us as we stood admiring what we had done. FAL took her place next to Vector, and Holst stepped forward to examine our work. "Well, that's impressive." He said with a whistle. We all stood together, as if we were sponges on the ocean floor. "If Sangvis Ferri forces have made it to here, we should be careful." I said. We all muttered agreements. I decided to head off back to the base nearby to communicate with SC.

"51 actual to any Smith Co forces online. We have made contact with a Sangvis Ferri manticore at base 170. Requesting further instructions." I said calmly into the radio. A female voice came through the receiver. "West?" She said. "Oh hey, it's you." I replied. I lowered the receiver and beckoned for Alex to take over. "It's Sam." I told him. He nodded and raised the radio to his head. "Hello?" He paused for a moment. "Yeah, we're all fine." He continued on speaking for a few moments before cutting the connection. "There's Sangvis forces everywhere here. We need to go." He said. I cursed silently in my head. "Then let's get the hell out of here." I paused after speaking. "Wait, how the bloody fuck do we get out of here?"

-Super SASS-

After some (totally) hard thinking, we decided to raid the store rooms for food and ammunition. After filling some bags that we had found in the armoury with supplies, we met back in front of the building. The base staff watched us as we left. We had offered to take them with us, but fear had kept then bolted in place, and so we simply left. We walked in two columns on the road, with about 10-15 meters of space between each member of a line. To our left, squad 52 moved with Markus in the center. I moved at the back with Holst leading the file. Without any speech or break of focus, we continued to move in that fashion for the better part of 3 hours. Finally, when we grew fatigued, we found a residential area and searched for a house we could occupy.

When we at last found a small two story house that was devoid of inhabitants, the two files lined up on either side of the door, pressed against the wall. We breached the door and searched the interior quickly as a single unit. The place was relatively empty with only some pieces of cheap wooden furniture in place. "Quite a downgrade from the hotel, don't you think?" I asked Arthur. Besides a thin film of dust over everything in the house, it was relatively clean and in good shape. For the sake of security, we all slept in the basement. The carpet created tolerable sleeping conditions, and there was enough space for us all to sleep comfortably. Settling for the night, we all took turns dealing with our hygiene and dress before assigning a schedule for watch. "And remember, keep your bloody guns on safety. I don't want a hole in my damn brain by sunrise." Said Alex.

A tap. Then a gentle shake. "Sass?" Asked Arthur. I rolled onto my back and pried my eyes open. "You're up." He said. His hand quickly caressed my hair, and I rubbed my cheek against his other palm. "Jeez, you're such a weirdo." He whispered, careful not to disturb the others. As I propped myself up, he wrapped his OD coat around my shoulders and slipped me a pocket knife. "Don't do anything stupid, alright?" I reached up and squeezed his hand as if to say "gotcha", and fetched my rifle before walking up to the top floor.

The moon was beautiful that night. It made the world beneath it glow as if it were carefully blowing on a hot bowl of soup. It was so mellow, up there in the night sky. The silhouettes of other houses surrounded ours, but I continued to glance out the small window. Among the blackness of the night, there were also little stars. They all burned with passion, like little bubbly children. I pointed my right hand out to the sky and made a finger gun. "Blaze into the stars…" I sang softly. "A trail of glory…" Said a quiet voice. I looked behind me with my hand on the knife Arthur gave me, only to find Vector stretched out on the couch. The moonlight made her silver hair shine in a way that captivated me for several moments.

"Why're you up here?" I asked in concern.

"Couldn't sleep."

"Why not?"

"Too many thoughts."

"I see."

We seemed to sit in silence for a while. "What were you thinking about?" I asked. Her gaze moved to meet me. "Not much really." She answered. "I'm just scared I guess." I was taken by surprise. I hadn't expected Vector to be afraid. "I wonder, what will happen if I lost someone precious." She barely breathed out. I watched her without stirring. As her words sank in, the gravity of what we were in hit me. I inhaled deeply and sighed. "If that happens, you'll move on." She looked hurt as I spoke. "Not to forget them, but to honour them. However far you've made it, it was in part because of the people and friends who chose to be with you every step of the way." Her expression warmed up, and a sad look filled her eyes. "Of course. That makes sense." She said.

"What's it like to want to give your all to protect someone?" Asked Vector.

"I guess everyone feels different about that."

"Well, what about you?"

"I'm not sure. Sometimes I feel like what I harbour for him isn't returned in equal part. But, regardless of that, I'll still fight as hard as I possibly can."

Her face scrunched up as she thought over what I had said. Perhaps she was imagining it, or trying to relate.

"Ah. So that's what it's like."

"...Yea."

"I feel like a ghost in the distance compared to everyone, yet I'll still fight. I guess it's not just me."

"There's always others. Besides, you're not a ghost."

"You sure?"

"One hundred percent."

"Alright."

Once our 2 hours were done, we went to call Markus. He quickly got up with militaristic discipline, contrasting his normal behaviour. "Have a good rest, girls." He said. We both said a quiet "thank you." Then he addressed Vector. "It's cold in here. Take my sleeping bag for now." She said a shy "Will keep in mind." In response. As Markus left, I leaned over and cupped my hands over Vector's left ear. "See? You're not a ghost."


	9. Argonia

9- Argonia

-Arthur West-

The autumn leaves had begun to fall and paint the world orange. "Hold on, I'm detecting movement ahead." Called out FAL. We dropped to the side of the road and squirmed into the ditches to lie in wait. An abandoned truck lay on its side in the middle of the highway. On either side of us was forest and underbrush. With the agility of a cat, Vector snuck up to the rear end of the truck's trailer. Inside, she set down explosives that were connected to my remote detonator. With her task complete, Vector retreated back to her side of the highway. "Get ready." Said Sass. Sass and FAL stayed back with their rifles, while the remainder of our company advanced so that we were just before the overturned truck. I clutched my M4 tight against my body as I lay against the side of the ditch.

"Hey Holst?" I asked. He turned to me. "Yes?" He replied. I glanced around the highway above and dropped back into the ditch. "Oh for fuck's sake, it's nothing. Just don't get shot." My friend snickered to himself. "Like hell I want that."

A couple of minutes passed. As the Sangvis drew nearer, Sass identified them and spoke into the headset system. "Distance, 600 meters. 2 manticores, a division of Rippers, and a small group of 3 Vespids." I continued her message. "Distance from vanguard, 200 meters, prepare for engagement." Ahead of the humanoids, the manticores walked side by side in the front. "3… 2… 1… Engage."

"The truck exploded into a cloud of debris and flames. Bits of shrapnel launched into the air, cutting down several Rippers. The Manticores collapsed and crushed their plasma cannons, instantly being rendered useless without their combat ability or mobility. From behind DMR fire brought down one of the Vespids in an explosion of machinery and grotesque synthetic organic material. The Sangvis immediately moved to seek cover.

The vanguard rushed, using the cover of abandoned vehicles for safety. I slid behind an old humvee with Holst. Just as we reached cover, plasma bolts began hitting our cover, filling the air with loud hissing noises. I leaned out from cover with my carbine and pulled the trigger. As I did, Alex ran to the car ahead of the one I was at. He quickly got down, and repeated my moves. I frantically sprinted while firing my own rifle in the direction of the Sangvis forces. On the other side, Markus and Vector mirrored our actions. We continued our pattern of movement until we were no more than 20 meters away from the other forces.

"Smoke, get a smoke!" I yelled. Markus grabbed a grenade from his vest and hurled it over the top of his cover. It hit the ground, rolled, and stopped as it began emitting a cloud of dense smoke.

We charged them and drew our arms. Our small company peppered the Rippers with bullets, tearing apart their bodies. Their limp forms fell to the ground with dull thuds as we continued our assault. Shots echoed as we pressed forward with murderous conviction. We emerged from the smoke and rapidly dove behind anything that would provide shelter. With deadly accuracy, I raised my rifle and leveled it with the roof of the car, firing a burst on my weapon. The final Vespid was jerked backwards before toppling over.

A resonant explosion shook the earth, drawing all of our attention. "What the-" I trailed off. Gun fire split the silence in the distance. "Name?" I asked. Everyone looked at me with confused expressions. "Group name." I said curtly. "Well, 51 is between 50 and 52, so I say 51." Said Alex. The rest of the company also nodded in agreement. "Alright, squad 51, let's head out."

-Super SASS-

"T-dolls ahead." I declared. We had regrouped and were moving towards the commotion. "Squad 51, on me." Said Arthur. Our column paused and knelt, watching the street for contacts. The other file made their way over and joined us. "What is it?" Asked Markus. "That noise. It was far too much for a standard weapon. If we're going to investigate it, we should be careful. Besides, there are already other forces engaging them, judging by the sounds, so we may be caught in the crossfire." Arthur raised his hand to his chin and remained silent. "We'll watch from the forest and engage if necessary." He said.

We could all feel a sense of tension amidst our unit. Something was off where we were headed. As we reached the area of combat under the cover of the trees, Arthur held a hand up. As soon as he did, our squad dropped down, kneeling with arms raised to fire. We were arranged in a circle so that every angle would be covered while the commander examined the situation. "It's Argonia. Their forces are fighting Sangvis. Issue is, there's a lot of Sangvis." Half of us left formation and turned to listen to the commander. What was squad 52 closed the formation and continued to keep guard. "What do we do? They're our competitors, but we can't let them be killed." I said. "Exactly." Agreed Holst. Expectantly, I watched Arthur. "Come on Westie, you always know what to do. Lead the way." I said confidently.

As our squad moved up, the sight that greeted us shocked us stiff. From on our small hill, we could see T-dolls lying dead in the streets, with more Sangvis Ferri units pressing ahead. Dinergates and Scouts lead the way. "Damn it, it's bad." Whispered Alex. He shifted his attention to West. "Do we open fire?" An uncomfortable mood emanated from the commander. "No. Follow Argonia's forces and we'll help with the wounded." Like phantoms, we tailed the retreating T-dolls. Bits of machinery and green garbed dolls were scattered across the battlefield debris. Compared to the Argonia BDUs, our dress clothes made us look like passing civilians, with the exception of our bags, vest, helmet, and guns of course.

Without warning, a scout zipped over to our location. It's eye camera met us for a brief moment, before soaring away as fast as it had come. "Shit, what do we do?" Hissed FAL. However, the Sangvis forces soon retreated. "What?" I asked out loud. "They're withdrawing." As one, our unit scrambled and began running towards the Argonian echelons. "Don't shoot!" Cried out our squad. Confused, the T-dolls turned to watch us approach them. "We're from Smith Co." Markus said. One of the T-dolls stepped forward and shook his hand. "We're the main combat force of Argonia. Pretty sight, isn't it?" She said with resentment. Her hand moved in a sweep across the dead and wounded to showcase them.

"The fuck happened here?" Asked Vector.

"It was a high paying job. The command staff accepted it right away, but of course we couldn't do it."

Cautiously, the T-doll peered across the area. "Our commanders let us walk in to this. They knew it was a death trap." She said while sliding her Mosin Nagant's sling around her shoulders. "They treat us like animals. Just because they bought us, doesn't mean we're lifeless tools!" She nearly screamed in frustration. I looked to Arthur. "If our command allows it, I would like to return with your force, to speak with your command staff." I said calmly. "Wait, Sass-" Arthur spoke, then paused. "Actually, I think we should."

At the landing sight, we found multiple helicopters of varying sizes, ranging from an old Chinook, to a newer light model. "Alright squad, let's get going." I said. "Go on ahead." Insisted Alex. Arthur faced his friend, taken off guard. "Pardon?" Holst laughed his signature laugh. "There's some work to be done with their forces. I'll help a bit and join up with you all." He extended his hand towards West. "I don't know when we'll next meet. Probably in less than a day, but you never know with the world today. So, it's been nice meeting you all." Hesitantly, Arthur shook his hand. "Take care, mate."

As our ride lifted off, squad 51 watched their comrade fade into the distance, until he became no more. "I can't help but feel like we've lost him." Grumbled Arthur. "Hey, don't blame yourself. He's got stuff to do." I reassured him. The bay door shut, and with it, the world went dark. I could hear some of the dolls around us sniffle. Some of them snored. The world remembered, but the world also moved on.


	10. Intervention

10- Intervention

-Arthur West-

"The highway looks like a serpent from here!" Sass exclaimed wondrously. I took a peek. It looked like a normal road. "You're right. It does." I told her. The Argonia T-dolls had fallen silent as they slept. All was quiet besides the soft hum of the engine and the sound of the propellers cutting air. What could have lead to Argonia's commanders accepting such a job? The monetary reward wouldn't be enough to compensate for the cost of the lost dolls. Was it just a poor gamble?

I got up to stretch my legs and sat back down. Time seemed to move like a snail. A TAR-21 made her way towards me. Curiously, I watched her. When she had closed in, I warmly asked "What is it?" Her eyes seemed to be trying to hide her suffering. She sat down in front of me and sighed. "Why is this all happening? We trusted our commanders, but all we've experienced is loss after loss." Her voice quivered slightly. "It's not easy you know?" I said. "To command I mean. There are things that need to be done, and sometimes they're not done the best way they can be done in. But that doesn't mean it's anyone's fault. Chance will always have the final say on whether we live or die." TAR's eyes scrunched up. "I know that. I've got no issues with our commander, but his adjutant is awful." Her voice trailed off.

"Is that so?" I asked. TAR nodded. "He controls the majority of our missions. The commander is kind of a puppet for him. He doesn't give a damn about us, and he uses us for whatever the hell he wants." A few of the other dolls began to stir, so we ceased speaking. With the fading sun shine in the cabin of the helicopter, I took my coat off and draped it over my face. There was no better way to pass time than to sleep.

I woke up to a stream of cold water on my face. Rapidly, I bolted upright and evaluated my environment. The massive chinook had landed on an old concrete square illuminated by several street lights. Facing my attacker, I saw Markus with an emptied flask. A cruel smile painted his face. "You were muttering things about 'saving them' and stuff. You some sort of superhero in those dreams?" He said. My face probably appeared zoned out, so FAL said "forget it, let's just get going." Wiping my face, I pulled myself off of the seats with the help of Markus' arm. "Well, we should be following the Argonia dolls, right?" I asked. "That is correct." Markus answered.

The floor was made up of dulled grey concrete. Chips and scratches lined the walls, leaving the ground covered in coarse debris. Dim lights swung from wires running along the ceiling corners. The were no windows that we could spot from outside, so I wasn't expecting much in terms of light. Steel doors lined the corridors, which were arranged like a small grid. We passed by a door that was left ajar. T-dolls in ragged uniforms were slouched over on their cots and lying down. I forced myself to look away and we continued towards the commander's office.

We made it to the command offices and searched for the adjutant's room. "This is the asshole that TAR-21 was talking about isn't he?" I could tell Markus was getting riled up as he eyed the wooden door to the adjutant's quarters. Markus leaned his ear against the door. His head nearly instantaneously jerked away from the door. "Give them a warning." He hissed to Vector. She floated to his side and removed her dress shoes before lifting them up to deliver three strong blows to the door. Markus counted down from three, and on zero, he slammed his foot into the door hinges. The door tumbled over, revealing a man hurriedly pulling on a pair of pants. "Woah!" He cried.

For a minute, we all remained still. A teary eyed Galil was covered up to the neck with a blanket. The room was neat with lavish wine bottles and trinkets lying on shelves. "Explain yourself." I said. My voice could scarcely conceal my rage and disbelief. The man sneered. "What of it? The damn thing's a machine. What else can I do with it?" He asked. His eyes seemed eager to pop out of their sockets, and his veins were standing on his temple. "We're taking this to everyone else." Markus said. Our T-dolls remained noiseless during the exchange. I strode over to the man's intercom on his mahogany desk and spoke into it. "All Argonian T-dolls, please meet in the mess hall." I returned my focus to the adjutant. "Get dressed, we'll have a nice discussion with your units."

Stepping into the mess hall, I realized how sombre the dolls were. An eerie sense of melancholic ignorance spread over the echelons. They were arranged into tables based on which echelon they belonged to. The tables were in columns, facing a small stage. On the stage before Argonia's T-dolls, I didn't know how to start. Markus ended up taking over for me. "In what twisted world should you accept your current lives?" His voice broke the soundless atmosphere like a hammer. "To be used indignantly, then thrown away for that man's gain. Why should you all have to put up with it?" The dolls stirred slightly.

"For years, you have all been treated as tools and toys. For what gain do you fight? What do you hope to stand for?" Markus paused and glanced around the room. The dolls still had their eyes down. "If you want change, you have to fight for it. Fight for it so that what happened today with Galil doesn't happen again. Fight so that your friends can come home, because without standing up for the things that you care for, you'll lose them as they slip away." A pause followed. Nothing happened. The human guards standing at the doors whispered to one another.

Markus began to open his mouth again when I placed my hand on his arm. "That's enough." I said softly. His mouth hung open briefly before he nodded. The two of us made our way off the stage. It was impossible to save those who refused to be saved.

"So that's it?"

I spun around to find Sass standing in my place. Behind her, FAL and Vector eyed the guards. "This isn't right, and it's not fair. You all deserve a better life than what you have. To give up your hopes is stupid!" She announced. A few dolls shuffled in their seats. "If I had to live like that, I'd personally kill whoever was responsible for my crappy life. But I don't have to because my commander is kind and compassionate. He treats me and other T-dolls with respect and dignity. He treats us like humans." At the mention of "humans" the audience began to share hopeful glances. "This isn't a matter of property. Every single one of you has the capacity to breath, speak, and live. Every single of you should be free to exist as you want, just like people would."

At those final words, the guards began to advance on the stage. Vector stepped in front of Sass with her gun levelled. "Nonsense. What she mentions is utter bull shit. If any of you even dare-" The adjutant stopped speaking. The bore of my Glock compact was pressed against the back of his head. "I know you may have your mind set on your old habits, but please shut up." I hissed. Just as one of the human soldiers set his rifle sights on me, the door at the back of the room swung open. Two men stepped inside, dressed in the uniforms of Argonia officers.

-Markus Lieberstein-

Before I pulled the trigger on the guard, all of the Argonian forces had snapped to attention. The adjutant was frozen as his eyes followed the two new men. The taller man bent over meekly as he followed behind the older of the two. The old man's crisp green uniform was a far cry from the dirty world of the Argonia troops we had seen. His face was stern as he beckoned for the adjutant to follow him. The other man approached our group and bowed his head. "Adam Spiff, commander of 3rd T-doll battle group. Pleasure to meet you." I took his hand and shook it. It was slick with sweat. His cool voice hid what his hands couldn't. Leading us outside, I could see him shaking.

Behind the dense steel doors of Spiff's room, we grouped up into a circle to hear what he had to say. "I'm so sorry that you all had to see that while visiting, however, Argonia does maintain a very strict-" Adam stopped speaking once I cut him off. "However strict you guys may be, one of your combat units was used by a commanding staff member for his personal pleasure. There's no defence for that." Said Arthur. "I KNOW!" Yelled Spiff. He began to breathe roughly as he watched our group with desperate eyes. He swallowed a mass of saliva in his mouth. "T-that man, h-has control over everything here." He said. "He swore he'd k-kill my family if I interfered with his activities." He slammed his fist into the side of his bed frame in frustration. "Just let me be for a bit." He said in a pitched voice. Our squad noiselessly sat down on his bed and waited as he curled up on the ground.

"What does that heap of trash even do?" I snarled after waiting for several minutes. "He deals arms, using Argonia as a supplier." The curled up man said. "He does as he pleases here, and nobody can stop him." I watched Spiff coil tighter and tighter until there was a knock at the door. "Hang on, I'll go get it." FAL walked over to the door and slid open the view port. "It's the Galil from before." She announced. "Do I open it?" Spiff uncurled slightly to look at FAL. "Yes, there isn't a reason not to." FAL's hand tensely turned the door knob. "Wait!" I could hear Arthur's voice as it came a second too late.

The door slammed against the hallway wall.

A gun let out its cry.

FAL's fluid bursted out of her body, painting the floor the colour of her blood.

Within several lightning fast moments, armed men in Argonian uniforms were inside the room, assault rifles aimed. I could hear a small scream from behind. The men, while holding us at gunpoint, threw us onto the floor beside Spiff. A cigar was brought down to my face. I looked up to see the Adjutant from before. "Look at me." He said. A sneer split his even skin. I refused to meet his judging blue eyes. His hand was on my skull in an instant, trying to pry it off the floor to meet his gaze. "Urghh." I groaned as he kicked at my side. After what felt like an eternity, he stopped.

"So, you refuse to use those eyes of yours, eh?"

A chill ran down my spine and my muscles clenched. Before I could resist, a rifle butt slammed into my head, and I was brutally rolled onto my front. Guards pinned down my arms and legs as I fought to reach the pistol in my holster. The adjutant grabbed my tie and lifted me as I struggled. "Listen well then, little lamb." His hand reached up with his cigar. "If you will not use your eye, then you do not need it."

-Super SASS-

A pained scream shot out from Markus's lips. Darting my eyes over, I saw the burnt out stub of the adjutant's cigar on the floor beside the man.

"I am Victor Pasnyak, and you all will remember that name as you would remember your own."


	11. Reaper

11- Reaper

-Super Sass-

The adjutant stomped on Markus' back before leaving. Then it was just the guards, myself, Markus, Vector, and Arthur. We all curled up like cowards, fearful of a brutal death. "You two there, get up." One of the men with a heavy french accent prodded Arthur and Markus with the barrel of his rifle. Shaking, they both stood up and were directed to stand against the wall. "Sing for us." Another man said. They remained tight lipped in response. "Nothing? Very well." His hand reached to unholster his sidearm, which was then set towards Arthur's chest. The pistol discharged and I heard myself scream.

"Hahaha, listen to the girl." Said the man watching over me. I looked up to see a bullet hole next to my commander. Before I could breathe out in relief, my head was slammed against the floor. I was rubbed around a bit while being restrained. "Don't you fucking touch her!" West's voice was desperate. He was powerless. I was tossed onto my front against my will as I thrashed in vain. "No, no don't!" I felt panic well up in my chest. "Awww, come on girl. Don't you want to play?" The guards voice made me sick.

I could feel the guard's revolting hands caress me while I was held down by his heavy body. A cloth was stuffed into my mouth, silencing my protests. Just as I expected him to further violate me, his body weight was pushed off of me. The crack of a gun stock on a person's head sent Arthur down beside me. Before the guards could hit him again, he protectively wrapped himself around me. "Arthur…" I whispered. His hold became tighter, and I pushed my head into his body. Prepared to die, I shut my eyes and heard guns in the night sky along with the breaking of glass.

I rapidly lifted my head.

My eyes darted around after the glass shards had settled. Several guards lay wounded, and a couple dead. As Vector tended to what looked like Markus' mangled eye, Arthur and I rushed the wounded guards and finished them with our knives. We quickly grabbed our arms, and opened the door from the cover its frame provided.

Nothing. There was no shooting.

Our group slowly moved through the corridors, weapons raised and ready. There were gunshots echoing outside, but the inside sounded quiet. "Shit." I heard Arthur curse. "The Argonia T-dolls must be our enemy now." His voice seemed torn.

Loud steps could be heard echoing the halls. I tensed up. "Hold on." I said. I focused on the source of the noise and attempted to read their ID. "They're from Smith Co!" I said. "Hold your fire! We're friendlies!" Arthur said. His voice echoed in the halls. Voices broke out around the next bend. "Arthur?" Alex Holst appeared with a group of men in black combat gear. His hands gripped an M4. "We're here to get you guys. Argonia is responsible for arms dealing with multiple big ticket gangs." I raised a hand to silence him as our two groups ran closer. "I know."

A tremor shook the base.

"Let's go. Our forces are holding back the Argonia dolls."

-Markus Lieberstein-

"Damn it all!"

I recognized my voice. But it sounded wild and unmannered.

My left hand covered the right side of my face. A searing pain was present in my right eye, or what remained of it. Vector placed a hand on my shoulder while we followed the remainder of the SC troops. "Fal…" One of my T-dolls, and dearest friends was gone. I could feel Vector's grip grow tighter. My body shuddered violently in fear at the traces of distant shooting.

"Hey, easy there." Vector stopped walking. "If you want to leave, you can. Just walk away from all of the fighting once we get back. You can't fight if your shooting eye won't work." I thought about it for a bit. "And go where?" I asked. Vector went quiet. We followed the group before us. Vector let go of me, and I unholstered my G17. As I brought it to my eye, I tossed it between my hands. My eye really was done, and I couldn't aim.

The sound of chopper blades could be heard outside as we neared the exit. Our boots clunked along the ground as we dashed towards the door.

-Jessica Liu-

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind. And Will? I love you. I'll see you back at base. Jessica Liu, 8th Tactical Doll echelon, over and out." My voice sounded low and soft in the silence around me.

The night hid many things. Among those was the 8th T-doll team of Hades Corporation. Hades Corp. had a small base in Seattle, near Argonia's. When word got out that Smith Co was in conflict with Argonia, Hades Corp was tasked with stepping in to provide combat support for SC. Within the time span of a few hours, multiple PMCs had gotten wind of the situation, and had stepped in to intervene. The result was a mass of companies pitted against one another in the once noiseless streets of Tacoma.

I couldn't see my team, but I knew they were there.

"Okay girls, let's get in there and kick some ass. We'll be joining up with Smith Co's 51st T-doll squad and assisting in their evacuation."

"Alright, Jess. Let's rock and roll." Said Calico.

"Right with you." Chirped MT9.

Mk23 and Grizzly both said "Aye, Ma'am."

Evo slapped the back of my head and rubbed my helmet around.

Like ghosts, we ran to the building, unseen and unheard among the gunfire. It was surrounded by a few other buildings that had already been secured by units from Calibur Corp, and Aegis. Most of the heavy fighting was on the opposite side of the area, however, we would still need to remain careful.

Bullets cracked the pavement at my feet and I quickly dove behind a burnt out truck. "This is Hades Corp echelon 8-1, requesting fire support. We're being engaged by an unknown, possible Argonian T-dolls, over." I said into my mic. A window was vapourized by lead and bits of concrete flew back and forth. There was a slight rustle and some static before a voice began to speak. "Copy that Hades 8-1, Aegis squad 73 will provide cover and suppressing fire, over." Ahead, I could hear the rattle of a BAR M1918 along with a few rifles.

-Randy-

"Alright Auntie, slow it down on the ammo usage."

The other girls smiled at my comment. I couldn't help but chuckle myself. The situation was absurd. We were shooting at other T-dolls, not from Sangvis, but another PMC like our own. For once, we were faced with a foe that looked, thought, and fought like us. It was almost unsettling to see them laid out dead, but better them than our allies. With that in mind, I simply kept shooting and reloading my M1A rifle.

"Ping!"

Fumbling around, I realized I didn't have anymore ammo. I silently swore to myself. "Hey Spring, you got any extra 40 aught 6?" I had to repeat myself and tap her shoulder before she understood. "Of course, let me get some." She unloaded her pouch and dropped a set of spare clips for my rifle. I wasn't surprised that she went through the effort of carrying some for me. With a pat on the back, she continued providing cover for Hades Corp.

"Hey Randy! Careful!"

I looked over to M14, who was pointing past my shoulder. Quickly, I ducked as fast as I could. Chunks of concrete from the wall tumbled down onto my back.

"Aegis 73-2 to Hades 8-1, there's an anti-material rifle, South parking lot."

"Hades 8 actual, copy that. Moving to engage."

I could hear some messy shooting, but the sniper was silenced. I made a mental note to thank the dolls from Hades corp later on.

-Super SASS-

It was like a dance. Bodies moved around together to the tempo of the explosions, except for me. I made my own beat as I pranced through the enemy lines. "Shit! It's that rifle doll Delta team told us about!" yelled an Argonian T-doll. She didn't speak much. With a muffled scream from the doll, I had dug my knife into her throat, disabling her speech capabilities. I pulled the knife upwards, splitting her face in two.

"Sass! Come on!"

As my frenzy died down, I saw Arthur beckoning for me to come, so I followed along with him. There was a team of T-dolls dressed in black, along with a human commander accompanying them. I later found out that they were from Hades corp's 8th echelon. "Is everyone okay here?" asked the woman. Arthur began to describe the loss of FAL, and that Lieberstein had lost his left eye. The female commander nodded solemnly, and told an MT9 to tend to his wounds. The doll trotted over to him and began to clean the wound.

"So you guys are 51?" Asked the woman. "Yea. Also, who are you?" I replied.

"Jessica Liu, Hades Corp 8th T-doll echelon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Super SASS, SC 51st T-doll squad. Glad to make your acquaintance."

She held her hand out, and I shook it politely.

"Anyway, your friend's wounds should be alright for now. We should get moving."

"Right."

We shuffled off as quietly as we could. "Damn it!" Arthur said. I turned to him inquisitively. "We can't get away without cover fire, and Aegis is on the opposite side of the compound." he explained. Almost as if on cue, gunfire sounded nearby, forcing us all to drop down behind a pile of rubble. I could hear both Arthur and Jessica frantically calling for support, but the response was worse than I expected.

"Aegis 73-2 to Hades 8 actual, Argonia troops are withdrawing from the AO. It's bad news for us."

"Hades 8 actual to Aegis 73, what's the problem?"

"They're not retreating because of us. Immediate evacuation is advised. Aegis echelon 73 out."

"Wilco."

In a few moments, the area became silent. Mangled T-dolls lined the street, making the scenery appear like something from a fevered dream. A low hum came from the distance, making my spine freeze. "Sass, you okay?" asked Arthur. "No… shit! It's her!" I spat in fear. "The Ghost of Anchorage." my voice came out harsh and shrill. I could hear a faint singing voice from a small distance away.

"Baby it's cold outside~"

The voice drifted eerily through the chilly air. I pulled myself closer to Arthur, shaking as I had on that night in Alaska. He carelessly pushed me off and racked the slide of his Glock 30S. "Get going." he said. "Everyone get lost. I'll take this ghost." he spoke decisively, and the company quickly obeyed. I remained with him, wild with fear and anticipation. Suddenly, a figure seemed to materialize before us. It was dressed in a black dress coat, and elegant leggings to match. It wore a cap and a pair of boots for what little protection that it may have needed.

"A Springfield model?"

Before us was a doll which resembled the Springfield which was responsible for the food back home. However, her clothing was starkly different compared to the simple uniform of the chef.

"How're things?"

The ghost's voice was hauntingly melodic… and familiar.

"What do you want?"

"To talk. Without the human here of course"

Arthur shifted uncomfortably, while strengthening his grip on his pistol.

"No, he stays with me."

"Oh? You've fallen for a human now? You sure have changed."

"Why does that matter?"

"No reason. However, I'm surprised you didn't tell him about our special… past."

My core stopped and my eyes widened. He was going to find out.

"Don't…"

She chuckled.

"Hey human, I've got something for you. A nice piece of trivia, if you will."

Her eyes locked with Arthur's, trapping his attention mercilessly. I cursed myself for not coming clean sooner.

"Arthur, don't listen to her. Please!"

"Shut up. He deserves to know about the Reaper."


	12. Author's note

Dear readers,

As many of you are aware, in Canada and the United States, many highschools are getting into their final exams and assignments. As such, I've been unable to spend time writing as much as I'd like. At the moment, I still need to decide where I want to take "Squad 51" in terms of its story, and I'm not sure if it accurately portrays what I had originally wanted from a story (after all, it has been a year since I started writing it). After dragging the plot on, I've realized that my ideas have grown uncreative and plain. Therefore, because of my lack of time and creativity, "Squad 51" will (for the foreseeable future) be put on hold. To the few people who read it, and support my work, thank you very much. It means a lot to me as a student, and I will continue to produce more for you all to read in the future. For now, please consider checking out "Mechanized Dreams" for more stories set in the world of Girls' Frontline. Again, thank you all so much for the support, and I look forward to bringing you more tales of Arthur and Sass from SC's 51st T-doll squad.

Best of regards,

Hieutuan


End file.
